Results.
I am 2/3 happy right now. But the 1/3 of me that is unhappy, is really, really unhappy.
This is the wedding photo of one of my best friends, Brad.
Although the No on Prop 8 campaign is not willing to officially call it yet (based on approximately 3 million uncounted votes), it looks like 52% of Californiavoters were able to constitutionalize discrimination. I don’t understand why anyone is allowed to pass laws condoning bigotry – that seems so 1780s – but apparently we do allow a slim majority to legalize discrimination against a minority group.
I am so angry & sickened. I don’t think that this will go down without a fight, though. Even if Prop H8 does pass (as looks likely), it will be challenged, and will likely be back on the ballot in 2010 (and 2012 and as long as it takes)….but the exit polls showed the under 30s voted overwhelmingly NO (and the over 65s overwhelming YES), and the 30-65 about 46/54 in favor of the prop….which means that each successive generation is less bigoted than the ones before.
Also, I do plan on not being polite to asshats anymore on the basis that I’m the bigger person – fuck them & their bigotry. I’m not going to go out of my way to be hateful, but I’m not going to go out of my way to be nice. I think our side tries too hard to be nice sometimes, and although sometimes the high road works (Obama) – sometimes people just need to have their evilness flung back into their faces.
This has really marred what should be a joyous election for the country.
And if I ever meet anyone who tells me that they voted YES on H8, I will have a few words. I don’t care if you don’t like gay people. Or if you don’t think gay people should get together and have their scary gay sex. It doesn’t matter. No one is going to make you have gay sex. No one is going to come into your home & convert your child to homosexuality. You’re not going to have suited representatives from the Church of Gaygo door-to-door to tell you about the benefits of being gay (ahem….religious solicitors).
From the time I’ve spent with gay friends, I’ve gathered that most homosexuals are not actually wasting a great deal of time & energy figuring out how to destroy your marriage.
You certainly can’t blame the hetero divorce rate on gay marriage, since divorce has been around longer than gay marriage. South Africa, Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands haven’t yet exploded into flames (hee-pun) despite having legalized gay unions.
If your religion says that gay marriage is bad – that’s fine. But my religion says otherwise. And, since we don’t have a theocracy here, then I think that it doesn’t matter what your religion says as long as I’m not trying to join it.
How can you look someone in the eyes and tell them that you are more worthy than they of a state sanctioned relationship – and all the rights & responsibilities that come with it?
How can you look at a couple that’s been together for 8 (or 20, or 50 years) and say that it’s not real?
How can you look at yourself in the mirror and believe that you truly are a good person if you’ve just voted to legislate hate?
A couple of hundred years ago, people used the Bible to justify slavery – and now it’s used to justify any bigotries that crop up. I think that completely ignores the point of Love.
Love isn’t something parcelled out to a select few. And marriage isn’t something that’s only reserved for the people that believe how you believe – unless you’re going to invalidate my marriage, too. Afterall, I didn’t get married in a church. I’m not going to reproduce.
I can’t swallow this lump in my throat. I know that this result is better than the 2000 vote (which had a 22% difference), and the next one, based on the fact that apparently younger people are much less prejudiced than older ones will be even better. But I think it’s time, world. Seriously.
